After an absolutely beautiful weekend with Calgary setting a new record daytime high on Sunday, March has provided perfectly pleasant temperatures so far. The warm weather does mean we’re well into the messy phase of the winter melt, however. There are still stubborn patches of dirty snow in shady areas, thick ice that refuses to melt, and boggy ground that hasn’t warmed up enough yet to properly absorb extra moisture.
We’re not yet into the planting season, but the forecast is encouraging enough that we at Mirage Landscaping are slowly beginning to put away our commercial snow removal equipment in anticipation of a new and exciting landscaping season. We’re already planning yard makeovers, and working with our clients to create their own personal oases with room to sit with friends, cook with family, enjoy a variety of beautiful trees and shrubs, and indulge in the stunning colours of your annuals and perennials.
As the ground starts to warm up and dry out, we can get you a head start on your yard time with a good spring clean up to give your property the best chance for great summer.
Our yards are showing the wear and tear of winter
When the snow melts away, we all start to notice the debris that has fallen and the garbage that has blown in over the winter. And, even if you did your best to pick up throughout the winter, pets wreak havoc on yards.
Spring clean up is essential for maintaining the health of your lawns and gardens. To start, our spring clean up services include the removal of lawn litter and debris from lawn and garden areas. We also rake out your beds to remove the hundreds of leaves that fell during the winter, the thousands of pine needles and cones, plus the twigs that have snapped off and the buds that have been discarded.
Then we power-rake lawns to loosen and lift thatch that has been weighed down and flattened over the winter as well as to remove gravel from roads that has been kicked up on and tracked over your grass.
Aeration and fertilizing services are also available, and work to give roots access to much-needed oxygen and allow nutrients to go exactly where they are needed.
If you have large dead spots in your lawn that don’t look like they will fill in naturally, we can discuss reseeding. We’ll spread high-quality top dressing soil over the areas, and then generously apply layers of seed. New sod may be an option in certain cases. For larger jobs, our customizable mobile watering services can help keep your new grass watered and well-nourished.
Starting up your sprinkler system
If you blew out your sprinkler system properly in the fall, starting it up again in the spring should be a relatively simple process. You need to wait until the ground is thawed well enough to be able to absorb water, which means nighttime temperatures of above zero for several weeks. Turn it on slowly, starting with the main shutoff valve inside your home. Starting the water up too fast will create too much pressure in the system, potentially damaging it.
Then, carefully turn on each of your zones from the irrigation boxes before testing each one to ensure none of your sprinklers were broken or damaged over the winter.
If you didn’t blow out your system, it’s smart to wait a little longer to start it up. The pipes should be fully thawed and warm, which will help move accumulated debris through the system and mitigate damage from cracks that may have occurred.
Install an underground sprinkler system
Spring clean up is the perfect time to imagine the potential of your yard, and that can also mean the installation of an underground irrigation system. In the spring, regular watering is essential, especially if you have put down new sod or plantings. Everything needs to be watered regularly to in order to establish itself properly in its environment, and then flourish.
When you schedule your spring clean up, let us know if you are interested in discussing the installation of an underground sprinkler system to help you save time, water and money, plus keep your yard looking great.
Schedule your spring clean up services
In all reality, as residential and commercial landscaping professionals we don’t really want spring to come too fast. A slower melt is best for the city’s overall ecosystem as well as your landscaping. The ground needs time to unfreeze and absorb moisture instead of having it run off quickly into the city’s sewer system. Root systems need to slowly establish before sprouting. We will never schedule your spring clean up too early and potentially place your yard in jeopardy.
Mirage Landscaping operates as a full-service residential and commercial landscaping company specializing in serving southeast Calgary districts and communities including:
Auburn Bay, Chaparral, Chaparral Valley, Copperfield, Cranston, Douglasdale, Heritage Pointe, Lake Bonavista, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, Mackenzie Towne, Maple Ridge, New Brighton, Odgen/Lynwood/Millican, Parkland, Riverbend, Sundance, Walden, and Willow Park.
Get started on your spring clean up today by contacting Mirage for a fast, free project quote.
